Even tiny updates make a difference, especially in the new year when simpler decor is a welcome change.
My favorite days are those when we have NO plans and I can putter around the house, organizing and making small tweaks around our house.
We don’t always have to spend a ton of money to satisfy the need for change — rearranging furniture and decor is always an option for sure.
I’m sharing a few home tweaks I’ve made over the past few weeks, including moving some things around, switching out an accent color and also removing decor.
They’re all small updates, but they made our spaces feel fresh and new!
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Problem is, you could barely see them. A few weeks ago I stood there staring at this spot and thinking they would look great in between the windows instead.
That thick trim in between the windows was the perfect spot — we can actually see them now!
I’ve turned these on more in the past few weeks than I have in months!
This quick redo didn’t cost us a dime! It’s funny how just moving things around makes such a difference.
The next project was a lot of work, but I feel like it fits our basement family room so much better.
It looked great! But after a few years, I wanted a little bit of color instead of the gray.
I finally got it installed over the holidays, and I hung it right over the old stuff!
It took FOREVER, because I had to cut and trim the wallpaper to fit each section. (I hung the previous paper on the wall before I installed the bookcase portion of this built in.)
This was worth the work! It’s a subtle difference, but we love it! The green flows beautifully with the dark gray cabinetry and warms up the room even more:
A grasscloth wallpaper is more affordable, since there’s no design to match up as you install it on the wall. There’s no wasted paper!
Of all of the tweaks I’m sharing today, that was the only one I spent money on!
We’ve covered rearranging what you already have, as well as adding new. Now my favorite home tweak — taking things away! 🙂
I definitely trend certain ways with our decor at different times of the year…when fall and the holidays hit, I love more decor around the house.
But the first half of the year, I crave more simplicity in our home…the new year feels so good with a clean slate!
I’ve had that cute decorative rail hanging above our stovetop since moving in, but recently I decided to take it down to see how I liked the simpler look.
Well, duh…I loved it. 😂
Thankfully when I installed it, I drilled the holes for the screws into the grout instead of the tile. For now I filled those small holes with some gray caulk we had on hand:
You have to get up reeaaaal close to see the color difference, but I have a plan to fix that for good in the future!
It was like a breath of fresh air when I stepped back and looked at this spot without the railing. The pretty new vent hood should be the star, and now it is!:
While I was at it, I decided to take down the similar railing at the end of our cabinet in the kitchen as well — my plan was to spray paint it in a brass color instead of the stainless steel:
Well, I went through the whole process of spray painting numerous coats on each piece — the railing, all the hooks and the hardware. When I went to put it back…I just couldn’t do it.
Sooo, I filled the holes, touched up the paint and LOVED how it looked without!
Those decorative railings with hooks were in pretty close proximity to each other, so it was like the kitchen got bigger when they were taken down.
I may end up putting the one on the cabinet back up one day, who knows? But for now I like the simpler look:
That’s the great thing about decorating and DIYing in your own home — you (and your family) get to decide what you want!
Don’t follow trends, do what you want. 😄 (Even if it’s a trendy!)
Rearranging, changing things out and even removing items can make your room feel completely refreshed…it’s crazy the difference these little tweaks make.
